Lord of the Flies

The 50th Anniversary Edition of the Lord of the Flies is the volume that every fan of this classic book will have to own!

Lord of the Flies remains as provocative today as when it was first published in 1954, igniting passionate debate with its startling, brutal portrait of human nature. Though critically acclaimed, it was largely ignored upon its initial publication. Yet soon it became a cult favorite among both students and literary critics who compared it to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye in its influence on modern thought and literature.

Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies has established itself as a true classic. And now readers can own it in a beautifully designed hardcover edition worthy of its stature.

From the critics

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This particular audiobook is read by the author - he does it pretty well (far better than Toni Morrison reads her books), especially considering it was recorded in 1977 (I think; I can't quite tell) long before the minor art of reading books for recording was seriously developed. I was surprised by how mild his accent was (it seems Englishmen today have more pronounced accents than they did 40 years ago!). The work itself is exciting and excellently paced; some creative and shocking descriptions, the techniques for which were not overused so one really notices them when they are used; the psychological portraits also are vivid for such a short book.

This was my first classic book, and can I say I enjoyed it. The context was a bit difficult to understand, but past that, it was a book that shows people how not only William Golding sees the world in his time, but how our world has not changed from his world, and that people will never learn how to treat one another.

During a wartime evacuation, an airplane crashes on an uninhabited island stranding a small group of young British school boys. Disaster results when the boys attempt to organize their own society on the primitive island. The writing is excellent, and the story raises many important questions about the nature of evil.

Really great book that shows that a violent nature can dwell even in the best of us. The ending is rather startling and reveals that this violent nature does not just occur on deserted island. Highly graphic, but one of the greatest classics I've read.

The novel Lord of the Flies provides an interesting outlook on our modern day society. The main overall theme of the story suggests that if an individual is removed from a civilized and modernized society, their personalities greatly impact their actions and what they do to survive. In the story, Golding produces many different characters to show us, the readers, the different types of personalities through several different and unique characters. Several qualities are portrayed such as loyalty, thirsts for power and control, anger, leadership and fear.

I really loved this book! I loved the idea of being stranded on an island, and how it portrays human emotions that we all feel; jealousy, anger, revenge. A great classic, while still being modern and having a unique twist to it.

While it is a classic, this book may be too grotesque and unrelatable for some readers. Or perhaps the grotesque quality will appeal to you! The quick dissolution of social norms has larger implications for society as a whole, and may cause the reader to consider humanity's potential for descending into chaos. Or you may be grossed out and annoyed by the immaturity of the characters...

My kids just read this book and it made their stomachs sick. I am really glad I avoided this when I was a kid to avoid the topic of politics and eating other people!?!?!?! What was this writer thinking?!?!?!? It was also extremely boring to discuss. There was so much symbolism that it made my head hurt. There should be a warning on it saying "Before you read this book be prepared to be sick."

The book Lord of the Flies written by William Golding depicts how a group of young boys would act if they were to be stranded after an accident with no help, or supervision. The boys in this book slowly turn from civilized human beings, to something more akin to a savage in the wild. It shows quite well what might happen in the real world if a group were to be stranded for a long time without any signs of rescue. It portrays quite well the worst possible outcome and the darkest side to what may happen if a tragedy like this may occur. This book also shows the readers various point of views on what to do with the many characters with varying personalities having their own take on the issue. Overall, it is a nice read on a society without any regulations, or how one may descent into chaos.
- @somedude of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

William Golding's most famous novel, The Lord of the Flies, is a book that shows what the state of society would turn into in the case of total anarchy - i.e., a dystopia. The plot follows a group of schoolboys as the plane they're traveling on crash lands onto a deserted island. With no adult supervision, the boy's attempts at order soon delve into chaos and murder. While the book does a fantastic job at showing the readers the darkest side of humanity - this is not an idealistic read - it suffers from being too much of a slow burn, and at some points, too much of a bad thing. The tragedy after tragedy becomes relentless, but then again, in a post-Trump presidency era, the book seems more frighteningly real than ever.
- @reallylikesmusicals of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

William Golding’s novel, Lord of The Flies, is not simply about boys who struggle to hold on to their sense of order and civilization, but human’s innate nature. As the boys devolve from innocent British school children to primitive beasts, this haunting and at times disturbing story is meant to show that evil is mankind’s essence. I find this novel to be dark and frightening but especially pertinent to today’s society. As an optimist, I like to believe that humans are naturally good beings but Lord of the Flies does expose the fact that as a society we can be evil at times. 3.7 out of 5.
- @freshprinceofbooks of The Hamilton Public Library's Teen Review Board

A bunch of boys are stuck on an island and they have to work together to survive. They work on things like making fires to attract attention for rescue, using those fires for warmth and cooking, they go hunting in the jungle for food, collecting water, and other sorts of work. Things did not really work out as well as they all wanted it to be. Later, they split up into two groups and worked separately. One of the groups was into hunting and killing animals. They got too violent over time and things got out of hand. There was lots of violence on that island, and the only thing that mattered anymore was either stay alive, or get killed.
- @redninam of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library

Summary

Schoolboys are stranded on an island together. Attempts at a civilized society are made, but as the hope of rescue grows farther away, as the terror of beasts and monsters takes control, the society is fractured. The boys deteriorate into a violent, brutal mob, praising and fearing a "beast" and brutally punishing those against them.

sakib_0
Jun 29, 2014

golding reenacts WWII in this book by showing how many young boys crash down into a mysterious island in a plane,and revert to savagery as their hope of survival

platypus101
Jul 11, 2013

A number of English school boys suffered from a plane accident causing them to get stranded in an uninhibited island. The period was maybe during the World War II. Trying to be civilized, they elected a leader for themselves as well started the division of tasks (hunters, fire-watchers, etc). Things turned bad when there's a power struggle between the group leaders, worsened by various sightings of a monster in the island. No, don't think about "Lost" because this is way different.

tt14
Jun 18, 2012

This novel is about a group of young English boys who miraculously survived a plane crash. They are all alone in this mysterious and inhabited island of lagoons, cliffs, hills, wild pigs, flies and boulders. The author used many literary techniques to add zest to his novel. Character development, defined as a positive or heroic transformation in a character, is so well suited to Piggy – a protagonist in the novel.

A airliner crash leaving a groups of school children to defence for themselves. Due to conflicts the break into to groups. See how primary school students cope with no adult guidance. And will they be able to coperate to get off the island.

Notices

Violence:A pig is killed in a sadistic and brutal way, with its head later stuck on a pike and devoured by flies. A boy is beaten and torn apart by the others, and later another boy is hit by a boulder, flies off a cliff, and has his head bashed open.